Shooting Industry January 2014 - Page 52

By Jade Moldé, Managing Editor I t’s little secret independent retailers face many challenges today. Competing with big box and online stores, adjusting from the impact of 2013’s unprecedented buying frenzy and subsequent ammo shortage and facing the “New Normal” represent just a few of the difficulties confronting dealers. Add to these the mystery of how events in 2014 and even 2015 will impact sales trends and, in short, dealers can only be certain of uncertainty. Miles Hall, founder and president of H&H Shooting Sports Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla., recently sat down with Shooting Industry to outlay his projections for 2014 — including potential difficulties dealers will face. He identified two primary difficulties confronting dealers today: the availability of ammo and interacting with the new wave of consumers. The widespread ammunition shortage in 2013 left dealers scrambling to keep up with the unprecedented demand. Ammunition manufacturers report working around the clock and adding personnel and new equipment in an effort to increase production, but this still didn’t meet the voracious demand. After the initial buying frenzy, what’s being dubbed as a “New Normal” settled in, which brought its own set of questions: How long will the ammo shortage last? How much inventory should a dealer maintain? Hall recommends dealers focus on maintaining a healthy inventory of popular calibers like .22 LR, 9mm and .223. “The ability to get ammo represents a big concern. Today’s shooters are looking to be entertained. We’re in the business of entertaining; customers want to have a good time being social with friends while at the range. If you don’t have ammo for them to shoot, that’s a problem and they’ll move on to be entertained by something else,” Hall said. The ammo shortage impacted new consumers’ views of the industry, according to Hall. He notes new consumers want to be able to shoot right away, and at the peak of the ammunition shortage, they didn’t understand why they couldn’t shoot — a problem not common in other industries. “For a product like an iPhone, you can either be the first in line on the day of its release or wait two or three weeks, but the end result is the same — you get an iPhone. Our industry is different, we need www.shootingindustry.com Ammo To Attract Customers Interacting with your customer provides teaching moments and opens a line of communication between you and your customer. Richard Sprague, president of Sprague’s Sports in Yuma, Ariz., understands the value of connecting with customers. He cofounded the first P-20 group. 52 JANUARY 2014 Subscribe to SI DIGITAL